


Warden Nightmares

by AllenVoorEef



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-01
Updated: 2016-04-01
Packaged: 2019-09-07 07:31:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16849774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllenVoorEef/pseuds/AllenVoorEef
Summary: The Warden wakes from her first tainted nightmare and finds solace in Alistair's presence.





	Warden Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> Something I wrote for April Fool's Body Swap, in which artists attempt to write and vice versa. I had fun!   
> This was written for my Warden Ava Cousland, but I kept it purposefully vague so that it can work for pretty much any female Warden. It's not even romance-specific, so make of it what you want! 
> 
> As a side note: English is not my native language, so forgive me for any weirdness.

With a gasp she sat up on her bed roll. Breathing erratically, it took her a moment to grasp her surroundings and distinguish reality from the blood-curdling visions slowly fading from her mind’s eye. She heard a voice, distant at first through the sound of her blood rushing loudly in her eardrums.  
“Oh- Maker, I… Sorry! It’s okay, it’s-”  
Her hands searched around in the darkness for familiar fur, but instead found skin; an arm, a chest, a face.   
“It’s okay, it’s just a dream. Hey, you can calm down now.”  
“Alistair…?” she muttered, as her eyes started to adjust to the darkness. She could make out his silhouette against the glow from the campfire. Her breathing slowly returned to normal as she remembered. She was at camp, somewhere between the Korcari Wilds and a town called Lothering. The fatal battle, Flemeth’s rescue, it all came back to her now.   
His voice was soft and hesitant. “I- I should… Sorry.” She only realised she was still holding on to Alistair’s arm when he got up. Instinctively she clasped the heavy fabric of his shirt, hanging on to that reassuring bit of warmth, of human contact, for just a little longer.  
“No!” she blurted. Alistair froze, uncertain.“I mean… Please.” She forced herself to let go of him, feeling like a complete idiot. They had known each other for what, a week? She certainly wasn’t the type to make friends easily, and it’s not like he had chosen to travel with her; a terrible twist of fate had forced them into each other’s company, along with the surly mage. Between Morrigan having to leave the Wilds unwillingly and Alistair dealing with the loss of his fellow Wardens there hadn’t been much room for friendly chats. And yet, as she sat there, beads of sweat on her forehead and the memory of the nightmare still fresh, the young Warden felt like the only real thing in a world turned violently upside down.  
“I saw you turning in your sleep and I thought…” He sat down beside her, close enough to feel his warmth in the cool night air but not so close that they touched. He glanced at her. “I mean, not that I was watching you sleep or anything. I’m not- That would be _really_ creepy. It’s just that… I have them too.”  
She stared past the campfire, where she could vaguely see Morrigan’s tent in the distance. Her dog was strolling through the bushes, no doubt in search of places to mark his territory.  
“The nightmares, I mean,” he said. “I have them too. They can be pretty rough. It’s a Warden thing, but I guess nobody got the chance to warn you about them, so…” He tousled his hair. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have woken you.”  
“It’s alright,” she said, but her voice came out strange and soft. She cleared her throat and wiped a strand of hair from her face. “It’s alright,” she repeated, more firmly this time. “Thank you, Alistair.”  
He smiled. They sat in silence for a while, the gently crackling fire and distant sounds of forest creatures filling the air. There was so much to say, so many questions to be answered, but this wasn’t the time. Right now she just took comfort in his presence; warm, safe, near.   
After a while he stretched his legs. “I should let you get back to sleep, we have a long day of travel ahead of us. I’ll be over there when you… _If_ you need me.”  
“Alistair?” She hated that she was about to ask him this, but she was too tired to stop herself.   
“Hm?”  
“Could you… Would you stay? In case I…” She felt like a child, asking her father to leave the bedside candle on. But Alistair caught her gaze and in that moment she knew he understood.   
She slept soundly the rest of the night, listening to Alistair’s steady breathing next to her. In the nights that followed the nightmares returned often, but the Wardens quickly grew into the habit of watching over each other. Turns out after you entrust your dreams to someone, making a friend is easy.


End file.
